Happy New Year! How’s everyone doing with their New Year’s resolutions? I’m committed to feeling fit, healthy & energized this year and wanted to share a few products that are helping me along the way:

Breakfast with Back to the Roots cereals: It’s a new year, start it clean. For this Cali-based organic food start-up, there is nothing more personal or important than what we eat and put in our bodies 3x a day. They’re’re passionate about “Undoing Food” and creating sustainable, delicious products to help kids and families reconnect with their food and how it’s grown. These organic cereals are found online or at Whole Foods and boast just 3-4 ingredients each…simple, natural & healthy way to start my day!

Coffee with NextSugar: There’s a new sugar alternative on the market that is finally delivering the solution that so many people (including health researchers & medical professionals) have been waiting for: NextSugar. NextSugar is the world’s first low glycemic, non-GMO and Kosher natural cane sugar that has a sweetness intensity and profile of conventional sugar, but with a groundbreaking advantage: its unique composition naturally and safely blocks up to 50% of the sugar from being absorbed by the body. AND it’s suitable for any traditional use of sugar, such as baking, cooking and sweetening.

Organic deodorant & lip balm from Green Goo: This new year, start fresh by making a few healthy swaps with your daily body care products! This organic skincare line provides pure, natural and healing ingredients to nourish skin. Green Goo believes in using only the highest-quality, natural, beneficial ingredients the earth has to offer… food for your skin!

New black jeans from SlimSation: Never underestimate the power of great fitting, ankle-cut black pants. The goal isn’t only to look on-trend, but to look fit at the same time. SlimSation is a women’s clothing brand offering the highest form of comfort. Their ankle pants, skirts, and jeans are all made with a flexible tummy control panel. These panels work to contour your waist, slim your tummy, and shape your hips, all while keeping you comfy. They move with you, keeping your figure looking great throughout the day, whether you’re working, playing, or running errands. Plus, the secret slimming panel can’t be seen, but the effects of it are unmissable.

Y’all know I love reviewing new beauty products but I especially love sharing the latest & greatest NATURAL beauty products! To start exploring some natural product alternatives, I partnered with Whole Foods awhile back to review a few offerings from their Whole Body Department…read my reviews on all that good stuff here. Anyway, I can’t figure out why I have trouble trusting the natural stuff because what these products stand for completely aligns with me. I just have this stigma associated with them in my head that they don’t work as well as the regular stuff. And I’m sorry, but my beauty bag is not an area where I’m willing to make some of the sacrifices that come along with more natural, eco-friendly living –hello, unbleached (& scratchy!) Seventh Generation baby diapers, toilet paper, paper towels…you’re good for the environment but you kinda suck.

I’m still a little skeptic of the boom we’re seeing in the natural beauty product category BUT I’m slowly but surely being converted, one amazing discovery at a time. I find it a pleasant surprise when a natural beauty or wellness product rises to or even exceeds expectations. Natural Living aisle at H-E-B, I WANT to love you, I really do… and sometimes I actually fall for something! Here are my suggestions for easy swaps if you’re wanting to incorporate some more natural/healthy products into your beauty routine:

ABBA Pure Performance Hair Care: Pure products — it’s that simple! For over 25 years, ABBA has made a commitment to formulating products with the cleanest ingredients available, while never sacrificing the performance that their customers demand. Where possible, all ABBA products are formulated to be 100% Vegan, Gluten-Free and made without Parabens, DEA, Phathalates, Synthetic Color Additives, Sulfates and Sodium Chlorides. Plus, the brand has a strict policy that animals can NEVER be used for testing in the creation, development or formulation of the products.

Schmidt’s Deodorant: Looking for all-day odor and wetness protection from a natural product? –Say hello to Schmidt’s Deodorant! Available in six alluring signature scents, Schmidt’s classic stick (pictured) and sustainable glass jars have earned their reputation as the natural deodorants that actually “get the job done.” Schmidt’s award-winning formula starts with plant-based powders and moisturizing butters to ensure odor and wetness protection that allows for the body’s natural process of sweating while still keeping you dry. Amazingly, Schmidt’s effectiveness can not only match that of chemical alternatives, but can actually outperform them without the use of aluminum or other controversial chemicals! Available in both Stick & Jar application at Whole Foods Market.

SeabuckWonders: What’s small, orange and powerful? If you said the rare baby Langur monkey, Oompa-Loompas or Donald Trump’s hands, then you’re not necessarily wrong; however, we’re talking about the sea buckthorn berry here (Dr. Oz’s “miracle berry”) and why this power-packed super fruit should be on everyone’s radar.This little berry not only has over 190 phytonutrients and fatty acids (ALL the omegas: 3, 6, 9 and the rare Omega-7) that help protect against many diseases (including breast cancer). SeabuckWonders, the original sea buckthorn company, has been providing maximum potency sea buckthorn products for over two decades now. Their products are natural, non-GMO project verified, cruelty-free, too!